William Blair Investment Management LLC Invests $25.53 Million in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 799,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,534,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Vital Farms by 4,382.6% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Vital Farms by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter worth about $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 896.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter worth about $105,000. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Farms Price Performance

VITL opened at $10.13 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.19. Vital Farms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.95 and a fifty-two week high of $53.13. The firm has a market cap of $434.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm had revenue of $187.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Vital Farms’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VITL shares. Craig Hallum cut shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Benchmark cut shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph Michael Holland acquired 12,484 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.00 per share, for a total transaction of $99,872.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 38,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,200. The trade was a 48.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Karl Khoury acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 119,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,210,107.05. This represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 43,700 shares of company stock valued at $413,114 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Profile

Vital Farms, traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol VITL, is a U.S.-based food company specializing in pasture-raised egg and dairy products. The company partners with a network of family farms across the United States to produce eggs, butter and related items under a certified humane, pasture-centric farming model. Vital Farms’ supply chain emphasizes animal welfare, environmental stewardship and transparent sourcing, appealing to consumers seeking ethically produced, high-quality ingredients.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms began by marketing pasture-raised eggs to health- and ethically minded shoppers.